Yoshitaka Hashimoto, President and CEO of Bushiroad Inc.

We want to spread gratitude and smiles to the world. We want to spread Japanese entertainment to the world.

■ Profile

After graduating from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University, he worked at IBM Japan before founding COSPA Inc. in 1995, where he became its President and Representative Director. In 2006, he became President and Representative Director of Tablier Communications Inc. (now COSPA Group Holdings Inc.). In January 2012, he became an advisor to Bushiroad Inc., and in September 2015, he became a director of the company, and in October 2017, he became its President and Representative Director.

Bushiroad aims to bring the joy of "fun" to everyone, and is spreading Japan's strength, anime content, to the world. In addition to providing products, the company also organizes events that entertain customers, and President Hashimoto says that the "smiles" and "thank yous" he receives are what make his job rewarding. We spoke to him about his passion for the anime industry.

　When I was a university student, I had a strong desire to gain more social experience, so I joined a club that focused on event planning, producing, advertising, etc. I was involved in planning, business, and sponsor sales at the school festival, and through these various activities I learned that you can't make a profit without selling tickets, and that you can increase profits by getting sponsors, and I felt the importance of learning about how the world works and how to make money, and putting it into practice.

■It all started with listening to Japanese anime songs in Europe

　I had always wanted to be independent. Rather than thinking about what kind of products or services I wanted to offer, I wanted to start my own business, but I joined IBM Japan with the intention of learning about society first.
　 If I were to go independent, I wanted to start a business that could be exported, but hardware like cars requires capital, which is quite difficult for a venture company. I was also thinking about something that would take advantage of Japan's strengths, so I ended up with anime, which is part of the software industry. When I traveled to Europe, Japanese game characters were already popular in both London and Paris, and I could hear anime songs I had heard playing and the locals were enjoying them. I saw potential in the genres of Japanese anime and comics. So I started a business that held events as a place to enjoy cosplay, and later I also got into the cosplay costume business.

■ The gratitude from customers and the growth of employees are rewarding

　When you become independent, everything you do comes back to you, for better or worse. If you make sales, you get the money, but all of your inventory also comes back to you. However, that in itself is a rare experience. Customers who participated in events would say "thank you" or give me gifts, and I felt joy in being able to provide an environment that created smiles and made customers enjoy themselves.
　As the number of employees has exceeded 400, I have been entrusting more and more people with on-site work. When they do, they sometimes show me such amazing results that I want to ask them, "Did you all finish this on your own?" It is rewarding for me to see young employees achieving results that exceed my imagination, coming up with ideas that I would never have thought of, and growing as a result.

■ I want to work with trustworthy and altruistic people.

　I think it's wonderful when people are trusted by the people around them, including their employees, business partners, and friends. It can take a long time to gain trust, and you have to offer something that benefits the other person. People who are ambitious and who think altruistically rather than selfishly will gain the trust of those around them, and as a result, they will be successful in their work.
　When you enter society, you need to have the ability to earn money yourself. People who can create work with their own hands, pay their collaborators, and create a cycle that generates sales are worthy of respect.
　The important thing is to provide added value to customers and colleagues first, and then receive compensation. I want to work with people who can change their way of thinking from being paid by their parents. This is what I look for when considering hiring.

■ Distributing content from growing industries to the world

　The Bushiroad Group seeks to hire people with talent in areas such as the ability to engage others, promote others, produce others, and plan others, regardless of whether they have a liberal arts or science background.
　The content business and the media industry are inextricably linked. The world is rapidly shifting from analog to digital, and the lifestyles of ordinary people are shifting to online-centric communication, a style once known as the Akihabara style. The increasing onlineization of daily life is a tailwind for the industry.
　From now on, we want to create content that can be enjoyed by two generations, new content to keep our customers interested, and surprises to create something semi-permanent. Also, as Japanese content is being accepted overseas and the number of anime fans around the world is increasing, we want to place emphasis on globalization and create IP (intellectual property) and provide it to the world.

■Message

　The content industry is a job that only young people can do. The core target is people in their teens and twenties, and university students have a strong advantage because they understand the information and wants of young people. However, they lack the ability to turn this into a business. This industry involves interacting with people from a variety of professions, such as writers and illustrators, so the ability to get people involved is particularly important. Try to be proactive in talking to people, and develop an altruistic mindset that can provide benefits to others.

Student Newspaper October 2020 Issue Komazawa University 4th Year Nyoi Taichi